Abstract

Should children be excluded from medical research? Some child rights activists argue that no child should ever be used for research, while many physicians claim that health care for children will not improve without such experimentation. This informative study examines the legal and ethical basis for carrying out research on children, discussing such factors as the distinction between therapeutic and nontherapeutic research, the nature of risk in medical research, and the degree to which children can make responsible decisions regarding research on themselves. A thoughtful, lucid consideration of an important issue in medical ethics, this book will be of interest to all doctors working in medical research, and to pediatricians, moral philosophers, family lawyers, child welfare proponents, and interested lay people.